


A Commander's Mysterious Singer

by MightyWolves23



Series: Fated Across the Stars [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), F/M, Female Reader, First Kiss, Force-Sensitive Reader, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Lots of song references, Name-Calling, Reader-Insert, Sort Of, That's Not How The Force Works (Star Wars), Time Travel, lots of background oc's, no y/n, only to palpatine, reader knows nothing of star wars, wolffe is kind of an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28386090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyWolves23/pseuds/MightyWolves23
Summary: She was all alone. Or so she thought. She knew nothing of this universe or anything in it. All she had was this strange presence type thing that helped her out.One day, the Presence led her to a very well known bar. She met a Commander and everything fell into place.Before she didn't know anything, now she was getting a bit of a clue as to why she was here and what exactly she needed to do. What she needed to change. The clones needed to be free. She was going to make a difference.Must read A Captian's Stubborn Jedi first.
Relationships: CC-3636 | Wolffe/Reader, CT-7567 | Rex/Reader
Series: Fated Across the Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069607
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	A Commander's Mysterious Singer

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Part two of Fated Across the Stars. Here is Wolffe's story. 
> 
> Three things before you start reading. 
> 
> One. I wrote this a little weirdly. I used 'she' instead of 'you' but I never used an actual name for her. So it's a 'reader' fic but sort of not? Anyway, shoot me a comment telling me what you think? 
> 
> Two, I will be leaving on vacation from Dec. 29th to Jan. 8th. So... don't expect an update on any of my stories and if there is, then it's a surprise to you and me. 
> 
> Three, I was talking with my friend and we discovered one of my love languages was words of affirmation. Quite literally any comment I get makes me feel loved and so happy. Even if it's just a quick "loved it". So... comments = happy and loved author = more chapters and stories = happy readers. Love all around. Yay. Hit me with those comments. 
> 
> I don't own Star Wars and I hope you enjoy this long one-shot. 
> 
> MANDO'A
> 
> Copikla - Charming, Cute (babies and animals. Never women, unless you want your head ripped off.) (this is Wolffe being kind of an asshole)
> 
> Mesh'la - Beautiful.

She sat in the window of her extremely high rise apartment looking out over the planet she was on. 

She had had no clue where she was or even if she was still in her own universe. She knew now that she was in Star Wars. For the past year, a war was going on. 

It was kind of obvious with the whole trooper thing and Anakin Skywalker. Wasn't he Darth Vader though, and isn't it supposed to be Luke Skywalker? 

She had never seen Star Wars or anything associated with the franchise. Her parents really hated sci-fi. Plus she spent half her life without a TV. She really was behind on things but music… 

She adored music. She would listen to anything and everything back home. The playlist of her favorite songs ranged from songs of modern rock like Shinedown and 3 Doors Down, to rap like Eminem and Logic, to Sam Hunt and Luke Bryan in the country music genre and Katy Perry in pop. From music like The Cab to classic rock like Van Halen and AC/DC. She had listened to it all. 

When she arrived in this world when she was thirteen, she had nothing but her songs and a strange presence type thing that guided her and helped her choose the right things to help her survive. 

The day she got signed as a singer in this world, the Presence lit up with joy and swirled around her. It must have seemed like a windy day in the city because she had to fight with her hair. 

She was currently a famous singer. Christina Swift, she called herself. That wasn’t her real name. Not even close. It was from two women she admired in their singing careers at home. 

Home. She teared up at the thought of it. This strange planet wasn’t home. Oh, she had learned to adapt. Her apartment was high up. Nearly as high as the senators. She didn’t want for anything materialistic wise. She had money. Or credits. Lots of them. 

People loved her. For the songs that weren’t even her songs. She was just copyrighting a lot of musicians in her old world. 

She learned how to play the instruments here. There was something like a guitar but it was more space-like? She called it Spacy. 

The war was heavy on her mind. Something was happening here. Something big. It felt dark. The senate felt dark like oil and shadows and black ice. She went there as little as possible. 

She was floundering in a world she knew almost nothing about. 

Was this the famed war that the Star Wars was named after? This mess of illegal cloning and the horror they saw. They weren’t even recognized as proper life forms! It was horrible. They didn’t get paid for their fighting either. 

She set aside Spacy and stood up. She needed to get out. Do something. Anything. 

She slipped on one of her homemade knit caps. She tucked her hair under it and secured it. She slipped on a pair of sunglasses and a huge thick jacket. It must have been winter on this planet. 

_ Coruscant. _ The Presence whispered.  _ One of my homes. _

At first, she was spooked about the Presence. She thought it was some ghost haunting her, but after some talking with the so-called ‘spirit’ she realized it was much more than that. It was thousands, millions, trillions of spirits. Every living thing that had ever died in the past thousand years was folded back into this Presence. The Presence loved them all and was sad every time one died but took care of them even the bad ones. The bad ones got a second chance eventually. 

She had asked it, screamed at it, shouted until she was hoarse for it to tell her why she was here. Why was she in this place with nothing familiar around her? 

All it did was call her it’s ‘Chosen One’ and told her to change things. She didn’t even know what she was meant to change and the Presence would give her no further reply. 

She grew frustrated and stopped asking. Whatever would happen, would happen. When she was meant to change things, the Presence would surely tell her. Right?

She went down into her speeder. It took her a while to figure out how to drive one of these things. It turned out to be a cross between a car and a plane. Or she guessed, she never flew a plane back in her old world. She never really drove a car either. (Driving when she was twelve on her family’s back seventy acres didn’t really count.) 

She hummed to Battle Scars, a song she hoped to release soon with her record label, as she let the Presence guide her in driving. She noticed that she seemed a little quick with her reflexes when she did this but it was worth it. She found the best places by letting the Presence guide her. 

The Presence came to a stop in front of a little dive bar. 79’s read across the doorway in dull writing. 

She parked her speeder and stepped down onto the dirty concrete. She strutted across the walkway and pushed the door open. 

Every eye turned to her. She froze. It was a clone bar. The damn Presence led her to a freaking clone bar. 

She turned to leave. She didn’t belong here in her expensive leather boots that her agent insisted on. It was all about the image they said and her image was her life. 

She was dressed sort of down. All her clothes probably cost more than the whole bar’s drinks though. 

The Presence swirled through her and her gaze caught on the sight of a person sitting alone in a booth. She ducked her head and quickly marched over to the guy. She sat down across from him. 

“Sorry. Mind if I join you?” 

The person just stared at her. “A little lost, Princess?” 

“Sort of.” She grinned sheepishly and tucked her sunglasses up in her hat. “What’s good to drink here?” 

****

She spent the next two hours chatting with the clone. He never introduced himself and she never gave her name. 

The music played over the speakers as the day shifted to the night. More and more clones came in. She subtly watched them and realized that they were more than just clones and more than what the media was portraying them as. They had names and personalities and friendships and other relationships like any other sentient being. 

She vowed to herself to start pushing for better clone rights. It was almost slavery the way this Republic treated them. And slavery was wrong. Beyond wrong. 

“Princess?” A hand waved at her. “Do you have a way home? It’s getting late.” 

“Yes. My-” She flinched slightly as one of her songs came across the speakers. It was her newest song release Dangerous. Technically it was Shinedown’s song but she felt it fit her mental state at the time. 

“What? Don’t like Christina Swift?” The clone had keen eyes. 

“Sort of.” That was the truth. She sort of liked her persona of a famous singer. And she sort of hated it. It wasn’t who she was. Not really. 

“Personally, I don’t like her either.” The clone took a swig of his drink. 

“Why not?” She snapped out before stopping herself. She was slightly offended. 

“Take this song for example. She sings about wanting to be dangerous but she really doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Every day, every hour, good men are dying to make sure that she can live to be ‘dangerous’ but all the media portrays, all that they see or hear or even want to think about, is the ‘glory of battle’ but it’s not glorious. It's death and destruction and good men dying so prissy people like her can live.” The clone began his rant. 

“Oh, now you’ve done it.” A passing clone commented. 

She listened eagerly as the clone listed all the shortcomings of the media and what it tells the public. She took mental notes as he expounded on the differing opinions the public had all because of people like her. 

If she could make a difference for these men, then she was going to make a difference. 

“Wolffe.” Another man walked up to their table. “I’m sorry Ma’am. He gets like this when she comes on the music player. I’ll take him off your hands.” 

“No!” She protested. She reached out to stop the other clone from taking away her source of inspiration. “I want to listen. It’s fascinating to hear others' opinions. If someone can make a change, shouldn’t they hear what the general population has to say? To make things better for others.” 

Both clones freeze. The one dressed in blue and white armor chokes on a laugh. “Hey, Wolffe? I found your perfect match.” 

“Wolffe? Is that your name?” She turned to face the man in front of her. 

He faced her head on and she nearly gasped. 

All this time and she hadn’t noticed how he kept one side to the wall. She didn’t notice the intensive scaring and one glowing cyborg type eye on the right side of his face.

“Yes. I’m Wolffe. Scared now, Princess?” The clone lifted his lip in a very canine-like snarl. 

She pushed aside the feelings of pity and sympathy. She had a feeling that Wolffe would hate her if she voiced those particular emotions. She imagined them floating away from her like the morning fog back home at her family’s ranch. 

It actually seemed to help her. “No.” She met his mismatched eyes straight on and without showing an ounce of pity. “Tell me more. What can someone do to make you guys seen as more than what the media has shown you as?” 

There almost seemed to be a look of surprise on Wolffe’s face before he launched back into listing off things that might help. 

She reached for a napkin and began leaving herself some shorthand notes. 

The man with the blue and white armor lingered by their table until a woman walked into the bar with a bunch of others wearing the same color of armor. 

“Rex!” She shouted across the bar. She waved her hand back and forth. 

“Coming,  _ Cyar’ika _ .” Rex gave her one last searching look before heading over to the woman. “Stay out of trouble, Wolffe. You and your men. I’d hate for Fox to hold onto the Wolfpack.” 

Wolffe snorted. “I’d like to see him try. Get out of here, Captain. Go see your  _ Cyare _ .” 

She watched the exchange with curiosity on her face. 

The blonde clone left their table shooting a sentence off in their language that had Wolffe snorting with slight laughter. 

She wondered what it would take to get him to truly laugh. She looked at the time on her chrono thingy (she would have just called it a watch) and let out a curse. “Fuck me. I have to go.” 

Wolffe looked startled for a moment before laughing. It was beautiful. He threw his head back and laughed like nothing in the world could bother him. 

“What?” She snapped. She was a little confused by his laughter. It was as if he heard her previous thoughts and decided to grant her wish. 

“I’m sorry. It’s just a little thing like you, using curse words more suited to a soldier is funny.  _ Copikla. _ ” Wolffe made no move to help her gather her various napkins and things. 

She tried repeating the word. She must have botched it horribly because Wolffe just laughed more. 

She rolled her eyes and shoved all her written on napkins down into her bag. It seemed all men were the same. No matter what planet they are from. Forget Mars. Coruscant was weird enough. 

****

It took two days before she had the chance to ‘make a difference.’ It seriously took her that long to get a meeting with her agent and even then she was nearly laughed out of the building. 

“The clones?” One of the aides said with a laugh like she had just mentioned the funniest thing ever. 

“Christina, we are not a news station. We do music, not media.” The agent talked down to her like she was a simpleton. “Now, you have a gala in a month for the release of your new album, and can I just say where you get these songs is amazing. You must take me there someday.” 

The business carried on as usual and her attempt to ‘Make a Difference’ seemed to be forgotten as a little side note. 

Christina Swift displayed her ‘roots’ again. Now back to the schedule. 

She swallowed down her anger and set her jaw. It was like her dad always said.  _ “You have to get back up in the saddle right after falling off or you will never ride again.”  _

She tried twice more at her record label before giving up there and trying a new approach. 

“New music? So soon? Sometimes I wonder at you, Christina. You must spend all the time you are not sleeping thinking of new music. It’s inspiring. I wish all my clients were like you.” 

She just smiled tightly and handed off the ‘new’ demos she made. 

It was slightly different than her normal go-to music. She figured out how to do songs like Not Afraid by Eminem and Something’s Gotta Give by All Time Low. It was kind of weird to have both Nickelback and Katy Perry on the same album with Eminem though. 

She shuddered slightly. Back home, that would have been a musical nightmare. All those genres of music mashed into one professional album. 

“Are you cold? Shandra, dear, please bring Ms. Swift some caff. You have to watch these winters, they can get pretty cold. Cold as hyperspace, I have found. Oh, space is just freezing. When you do go dear, be sure and take some extra layers with you.” 

That was spoken as if she had never traveled in space at all. (She had. Alderaan was beautiful, but her agent always treated their clients like they just couldn’t survive without them) 

Her songs were sorted through and some of them were dismissed as ‘too different’ which meant that Eminem went out the window. Seems like this galaxy was not ready for rap music. Shame. Some really good music she had in her head was rap. 

And it was back to the drawing board. 

*****

It now had been three Earth standard weeks since that encounter at the bar with Wolffe and their conversation grated on her mind the whole time. 

She met up with him again completely by chance. She was strolling through a park on a lower level. She had her glasses on and her knit cap tucked over her hair. 

She had just stopped for a cup of caff, mourning the lack of Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte’s in this universe when he literally ran into her. 

She sent a mental scowl at the Presence as she was using it to avoid pedestrians. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was goi- Wolffe?” 

She blinked up at the clone. His eyes were unmistakable. Glowing blue and rich amber. She had never seen such a natural color before in her old world. 

Wolffe looked confused before smiling a slight smile. “ _ Copikla?” _

She tried to remember that word. She needed to look it up. She muttered the word to herself again, only getting a huff of laughter in return. “One day I will know what that means.” She waved a finger towards him. 

“Good luck.” Wolffe let out the small huff of air that could be considered a laugh again. 

Wolffe seemed to fidget with his hands before waving towards the walkway. “Going anywhere interesting?” 

“Well, I was going to hit up some shops. I wanted to look for a gift for someone.” The idea struck her out of nowhere. Honestly, she was just out for a Presence guided walk. 

Wolffe looked agitated. “I can take you as far as the edge of the park.” 

She smiled widely at him. “Would you? Thanks. Hey, I have a question about what we talked about the other day. I tried doing some of what you thought and it didn’t work out very well. I want to do more but- Hey!” 

She was cut off when a humanoid male ran right past them in a dark robe style outfit, followed quickly by a (what she had learned was a togruta) teenager and another woman in the same style robes as the man but in a lighter more feminine set. 

“Keep up, Commander!” The man shouted as he ran past. 

“I thought the Wolfpack was the best.” The woman taunted playfully as she too dashed past. 

“Rex and Torrent Company are almost there.” The togruta teen called out. 

“Oh no, he doesn’t.” The woman put on an incredible burst of speed that had her nearly a blur. “I’m not losing today.” 

She stared with wide eyes as the whole group seemed to vanish with the blink of an eye. “Okay. What was that?” 

Wolffe seemed irritated and confused. Before he could utter a word, she reached out and grabbed his hand. She scrawled her private com number on his palm. “You, call me soon. I’m trying but everyone is not listening. I’ll need to do some deep planning.” 

“Why are you doing this? Why do you care?” Wolffe sounded so unsure. “We’re just clones.” 

“No one is replaceable, no matter where you come from. You could have been made with the most important person ever’s DNA and treated like spoiled rich kids but you are still not replaceable.” She sighed and stared into those blue and amber eyes. She let all her feelings be known in her voice. “When I look at you and all the other men, I see people who are treated badly but still fight for the losers who don’t even know you guys. You guys believe in this Republic and what it can do. I want to make sure that others see it too. Others might call you just clones or by a number, but you’re not a number. You guys are more. Just so much more.” 

Wolffe just stared at her. She couldn’t read his expression. She nervously laughed and moved to tuck some hair behind her ear but only encountered the soft knit of her hat. “Call me. We can talk more later.” She tapped her fingers against her palm in a reminder of her number written on his own hand. 

Wolffe jumped as if someone yelled in his ear. “Stay out of the park and surrounding area. I’ll… I’ll see you around,  _ Mesh’la _ .” Wolffe turned and ran off at a fast pace. 

She frowned and decided to heed Wolffe’s warning. That and the Presence was whispering around her and tugging her towards her speeder. She never ignored the Presence. 

The next morning, she was watching the news when a report on the famous Jedi Anakin Skywalker, who foiled a Separatist plot in the middle of Coruscant. Funnily enough, right near the park where she was walking last night. People had died. 

She vowed to always listen to Wolffe and the Presence and to never dismiss or ignore their warnings. 

*****

The gala was approaching. Whole crews of media outlets and news people were going to cover it. Fans were allowed to be there. Tickets were expensive and some were being given away in games and as free raffles for the public. 

The Senator from Naboo had bought ten of them and had auctioned them off at a relief event for some planet that she couldn’t remember the name for. The Senator from Pantora quickly followed the other senator’s plan. 

She was getting anxious. She always was before a big event like this. Nerves were her worst enemy. This time it was doubly so because she decided to make a statement. She had gone to a discreet dressmaker. She had a plan. Her agent might just kill her for this, but she was determined to make a difference for the clones. 

Before they started really advertising for this gala, she convinced her agent to make it a masked event. It took some persuasion but eventually the idea of meeting a stranger in a mask and being romanced won over her agent and several people in her record label. 

She was nearly all set. She forwent adding color to her gown. Those colors on the men’s armor seemed like it was a sacred thing and she didn’t want to overstep. That and she didn’t want Wolffe to know just who she was. 

She had given him her birth name when he asked but ninety percent of the time he called her either  _ Copikla  _ or  _ Mesh’la _ depending on what she was doing. When she cussed or displayed any negative emotion like impatience or aggression, he called her the former. When she did something that stunned him, he called her the latter. 

She still didn’t know what those words meant. She didn’t even know what language they were. There were hundreds of languages in this galaxy. From Huttese to Galatic Basic to Togruti or whatever they called it, there were quite literally millions of languages and languages were not her forte. 

Despite having heard the words almost twenty times, she still couldn’t pronounce them and every time she tried, Wolffe would either smile or huff out his version of a laugh. She had taken to trying often to make him have some form of amusement. Even if it was laughing at her. 

The night of the gala arrived and she had spent all day on her outfit. She wore a white fitted gown with black designs almost like a trooper’s armor. Her mask was detailed to look almost like one of their helmets. She was making a statement. She was going to be advocating for clone rights.

Her agent could kiss her ass. She was a popular enough singer that if some of her fans ditched her, she would still have a job. Maybe. Hopefully. 

The Presence swirled about her cautiously as she got into the speeder that was hired to take her to her Gala up by the senate building. 

_ Careful. Be careful my Chosen One. Danger. Be careful. _

The words seemed to swirl on the wind, reaching her ears only. 

_ If you won’t tell me what to change, then I’ll change what I want to when I want to. These men deserve to be free.  _

The Presence seemed to back off a little but she felt its approval as clear as if it told her itself. 

The speeder arrived at the event, and she stepped out onto the colored walkway. 

Cameras blinded her as she strutted down the path, hips swaying, and a spoiled little smile on her face. 

This was who she made Christina Swift into. A spoiled little almost heiress who had everything and wanted for nothing. Not even friends. 

That stung a bit. She did want friends. But no one in this galaxy would truly understand her and her little quirks. She had written off ever having a group of people who knew what milk was supposed to look like and who knew the taste of an actual cheeseburger thick with bacon and gooey melted cheese with proper potato fries. 

She honestly had seen a nerfburger but never tried one. Was it like a bison burger or something like it? She had vacationed in the Rocky Mountains once with her family and had seen a sign for an elk burger. That seemed exotic enough for her tastes. 

A particular bright camera flashed in her face as a microphone was shoved near her mouth. 

“Ms. Swift. That dress looks interesting. What are you wearing?” 

She could easily read between the lines. They wanted to know why she was wearing a gown almost identical to a trooper’s armor. This news anchor was not impressed judging by the tight smile on her painted face. 

She smiled easily. “Oh, this was something I had made to support the brave men out fighting for us at this very minute. I think it’s super fab.” She gave a small twirl to show off her dress for the camera. 

The news anchor gave an unimpressed look. How can you look disgusted but still smile for your audience? 

She figured she would have to find out quickly. The news anchor rushed off to someone who showed up behind her. 

“Senator Amidala! A moment of your time, please!” 

She made it down the path without any more interruptions. She headed into the venue with a saucy grin on her face. She flirted with people as they came up to her. She was surprised to get a few compliments on her dress. 

Senator Amidala and Senator Chuchi were among the few who really seemed to like her gown. 

“A bold statement, Ms. Swift.” 

She turned to see the petite woman dressed in her outrageous formal wear. Her headdress alone must have weighed ten pounds. 

“Thank you, Senator. I just want to say that I appreciate everything you are doing to help with the relief efforts from this war.” She chatted with the Senator for a few minutes before being called away by her fuming agent. 

“What are you wearing, Ms. Swift?” The agent curled their lip as they looked her up and down. “No matter. The crowd wishes to hear a few of your songs. I hope your singing voice is good to go. I sent Shandra to go get you another dress to wear up on stage. She’ll be back shortly. You can change clothes back there by the bathroom. It’s all set up for you. I had some people take care of it.” 

Her agent was a whirlwind as they ushered her back towards a spare room to change her outfit. She didn’t care. Her point was made. She was starting to make a difference. She hoped that things would get better from here on out. 

****

Over the next two weeks, she had spoken to Wolffe a lot more. She found out that he was coming to Coruscant right around the time that Christmas would have been happening in her world. 

She set to work, quickly making a little gift for the Commander. She didn’t get the full story but she knew he lost his eye on a cold planet and he hated the cold ever since. It brought back bad memories, she guessed. She means, if she lost an eye in the middle of a battle, that would be traumatic enough that she would definitely hate the cold and any feeling associated with it. 

She researched and while she couldn’t do traditional things like building a snowman, or going ice skating, or even putting up a tree or lights, she could give him a gift, and maybe they could find someplace that sold some hot chocolate or this galaxy’s equivalent. 

The day dawned perfect. She was scheduled to meet up with her Commander at seven at night. When the time came, she tucked her knit cap on her head with her striking hair underneath. She slipped on her sunglasses and made her way to 79’s where Wolffe said he would meet her. 

She parked her speeder and climbed out with her gift tucked under her arm. She had wrapped it in some homemade wrapping paper. 

She hoped he liked it. She waited at the bar with her gift stuffed into her bag. She slipped idly at her drink as clones soon poured into the bar to celebrate being alive. 

She watched for the grey and white of Wolffe's armor. Others wearing the same color came into the bar and sat on either side of her. 

Two of them eyed her up. She shifted uncomfortably. She knew that these were his men and would theoretically never hurt her, but still, she was a tiny woman surrounded by their huge bulk of muscles and armor. 

"You lost Princess?" The one on her right asked. He eyed her expensive pants and shirt. 

She tried to dress down. Honestly. These were the cheapest clothes she owned. "No. I'm waiting on someone." 

"Oh. Really? Is this someone a clone?" The one on her left piped up. 

They had similar voices but the tones and inflictions of their words proved that they were different people. Not to mention how the Presence moved about them. The Presence loved these men. No matter how they were made, the Presence adored each and every one of these men. 

"Probably not. She's just here to wait for someone better to come along. Better than us clones." The one on her right countered. 

She was getting angry. She hated when anyone talked down about themselves and she really hated when someone talked down about the people she loved. That gave her a pause. 

Did she love Wolffe? She kind of did, she realized. She longed to make him have less stress and to see him, not smile exactly, but be carefree enough to be his normal sarcastic self. To not have to worry about things like battles and pesky paperwork and appearances for the media. 

She adored it when he called her  _ Mesh'la.  _ She got the feeling he was making fun of her when he called her  _ Copikla _ . She loved when she did something surprising to him and he got this stunned look on his face like he just can't believe what was in front of him. 

"You're right. No way is she waiting for a clone." The trooper on her left made the word sound insulting. 

She slammed her hands on the bar top. "Look, I get that other people have hurt you guys in the past but I'm not like them. I know you are more than that just by looking at you, not to mention this weird Presence thing that adores each and every one of you and makes you shine in your own way in it. You guys are more than just a number and I don't appreciate you talking down about yourselves or others. I am waiting for someone and I would dearly appreciate it if you guys can leave me alone." 

The group of grey and white armored men froze. "You are a Jedi?" 

"What?" She shook her head. "No. I don't even know what qualifies you to be a Jedi. I'm just a simple woman. Now if you'll excuse me." She left the men at the bar. She felt their stares as she sat in the booth where she first met Wolffe. 

The table was slightly cleaner than the sticky bar top so she placed her gift on the space in front of her. 

"I hope they didn't give you too much trouble." Wolffe's voice came from behind her. 

She turned with a ready smile on her face. "Hi. Long time no see." 

Wolffe frowned. "You have the weirdest sayings." He spoke her birth name in an exasperated sigh. 

She hopped up from her seat when the group of men at the bar kept staring at her. "Want to go for a walk? I can use a good stretch to my legs." 

Wolffe eyed up his men and fidgeted with his hands. One of the men did it back and she realized that they were using some kind of sign language. 

"Where do you want to walk?" Wolffe led the way out of the bar. He was his usual self and didn't hold the door for her. 

She liked that about him, too. She was no damsel in distress that needed a man to do everything for her. She could open a door on her own. 

They strolled around the block that 79's was located on. About a third of the way into their trip she couldn't hold back any longer. She proudly presented the brightly wrapped package to Wolffe. 

"What's this?" Wolffe gingerly took the gift. 

"It's a present." She rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. "I made it myself." 

"Why would you give me a gift?" Wolffe touched the red and green wrapping paper with a soft finger. 

"On my planet, near this time in its rotation, there was a holiday we celebrated. People gave gifts to their family and friends and… people they cared about." She cleared her throat as awkward nerves rose up. "I know you don't like the cold so I made you something to help with that. I did it in your colors, I hope that wasn't too forward of me, but better to have it be something that matched than some hideous color like bright pink." 

"Thanks." Wolffe turned down an alley. It was a shortcut to get back to 79's. 

"Are you going to open it?" She bounced on the balls of her feet. She couldn't help herself. 

Wolffe picked at the tape holding it together. He carefully undid the wrapping at the seams so slowly. 

She waited for what seemed like forever before he slipped the grey and white knitted face mask from the paper. 

"What is it?" Wolffe studied the object in front of him. 

She shook her head and smiled. "It's a face mask for cold planets. You put it on and this strap comes over your mouth. I tried to make it thin enough to fit under your helmet. It's supposed to keep you warm." 

Her smile fell as Wolffe just stared at it before tucking it into a pocket on his belt. "You don't like it? It's just… I wanted you to-" 

"Why? You said that on this holiday you gave gifts to family, friends and people you care about. Which one am I,  _ Mesh'la? _ " Wolffe's blue and amber eyes stared at her with all of his attention. 

She swallowed harshly. "Wolffe, I… I might just love you." She murmured the words softly into the night.

Wolffe leaned in closer to her. 

She bit her lip and held her breath. 

Wolffe murmured something under his breath in that strange language of his before kissing her. His hand came up to the side of her face, holding her steady as he deepened the kiss. 

She felt lightheaded as she kissed her Commander back. His touch was gentle yet demanding at the same time. 

A contradiction. That's what he was. A walking contradiction. He acted like he didn't care about anything, but she knew he cared deeply. That's why he put up his whole asshole front. He didn't want people to know that he actually gave a crap. 

He pulled back. Instead of looking like… well she wasn't sure what. He was her first kiss. She didn't know how these things went. 

He frowned and was glaring. 

"What's wrong?" She whispered. 

"Why do you insist on wearing those ridiculous things over your eyes? It's night. So don't give me the sun as an excuse. Also, I've seen you wear them on a completely cloudy day." 

The clone's mismatched eyes stare at her evenly. 

She hesitates. She doesn't want to lie to him. She bites her lip. They've only been talking for about three months by her count. And they really only have spent maybe one week out of that actually on the same planet. They have spoken over coms and by holovids. Maybe he can be trusted? 

"Why are you so mysterious?" 

She thought she heard him mutter. She took her teeth from her bottom lip. She cast a glance around them. There were only two clones down the street to the left. Their armor was noticeable by the dim lights let off by the main walkway up ahead. 

Down to the right were a clone and a woman wrapped in a tight embrace. 

She took a deep breath and stared Wolffe right into his glowing blue and rich amber eyes. She took off her sunglasses and let her hair fall out from underneath her knit cap. 

"Because I'm kind of noticeable and I try so hard not to be." She admits. 

He is stone-faced. "You've been using me.  _ Haar'chak _ ! All this time, you said your name was something different when actually it was Christina Swift. You lied to me and you've been using me to what…? Make yourself more popular to my men and my _ vod _ ?" 

"What? Wolffe, no! I would never…" 

"Stop! It's Commander to you… you…" 

"Wolffe? You alright?" The couple was headed their way. 

She flashed a panicked look at the couple coming right towards her. 

"Leave!" Wolffe barks. 

She was too upset to appreciate the pun. 

"Leave now and I won't tell anyone that you…" 

He seemed unable to continue. 

The couple was now within spitting distance. 

She snatched up her hair and tied it under her hat. She slipped on her sunglasses and ran down the street past the couple. She used the Presence's suggestion on where to move to avoid reaching hands and then even further to escape her pursuer. She ran through the night on foot past pedestrians and droids with speeders until she felt safe. She waited half an hour more to be sure before slipping into a speeder taxi and taking it to her lonely apartment. 

Tears slid down her cheeks as she asked the Presence for the umpteenth time why exactly it brought her here. Did it really need her? Does she really need to be here? Because she wanted to go home. Back to her family on her ranch with her horses and music and where everything made sense. Why was this Presence so cruel? 

Just when she was beginning to think she had a home here, it was taken from her. 

She wanted to go home. 

Cries slipped from her throat as she stared out at the darkened sky of Coruscant. 

A song welled up in her mind. She immediately set about learning to play the chords of a melody only she knew. 

*****

It was a week before someone tracked her down. 

She was wallowing with Spacy (her futuristic guitar), playing random Taylor Swift songs when there was a chime from her door. 

Someone was on their way up. 

She ignored the coming visitor and kept playing Teardrops On My Guitar. It was very heartbroken teenage girlish of her, but she needed the comfort of the memories of home. Since she couldn't have one here. 

Her front door to her apartment wasn't really a door. It was more like an elevator. So when the doors slid open, she hardly looked up and kept strumming her guitar. 

She thought it might have been one of the aides from her agent. Her agent has been after her for a week to come in and see them. She had declined every time. 

"Whew." An unfamiliar voice called out. "Clean up a little in here and the only teardrops on your guitar will be ones of happiness." 

She fumbles the strings and Spacy makes an awkward squeaking sound. "Excuse me?" She sits upright and turns to see a vaguely familiar humanoid. 

The woman wore clean Jedi robes and waved her hand happily "Hi. I think we need to talk." 

She sat and stared in wonder as this woman explained everything to her. What exactly she was in, how she was from the same world as her and what the future held. She seemed beyond shocked when she said that she knew nothing about Star Wars. 

Then started a three hour crash course on all things Star Wars. 

The conversation went lively as she explained that she knew a few things but really didn't know much. She thought she was the only one. 

That's when the Presence swirled up and crooned that there were more and they were their "Chosen Ones". 

"Chosen Ones." The Jedi murmured. "Chosen One _ s _ ." She placed emphasis on the s. 

"Yes? That's what the Presence calls me." She was confused. 

"Oh! Things are making a whole lot more sense now!" The Jedi grinned brightly and turned to face her. "How do you feel about taking down an Evil Sith Bastard?" 

"Um… fine?" She didn't know exactly what the Jedi was talking about. 

The Jedi grinned before checking a beeping wrist thing. "Oops. Stayed a bit too late. I gotta run but, here… we gotta talk and please go to 79's and see Wolffe. Explain as much as you can about why you did what you did. He's terrible when he mopes. Takes up all of my Captain's time." She wrote down a com number. "Call me anytime. I'm dying for some girl talk Our World style. You, 79's in forty minutes." The Jedi marched out of her apartment. "Go see our canine named friend." 

She hurried through a shower. She debated putting up her hair but decided against it. She had a Commander to talk to and she knew he hated lies. 

******

She entered 79's as herself and the entire bar seemed to be quiet for a second before starting back up with the noise. 

She went over to the table where it all started. She marched right up to Wolffe and planted her hands on the tabletop between him and a trooper in orange and white armor. 

"You asked me why I'm so mysterious. I'll tell you. I wasn't acting or using you. For the first time in my life I was actually myself with someone who wanted me for me and not the music I gave them. For the first time ever I was my true self. I hid myself from you because I didn't want to ruin it. I wanted to be who I am with you because I actually like that person. I like that I don't have to pretend with you. I like that you can be an asshole all you want and not hold open doors or help me pick up things. I am a grown woman and I don't need a guy to hold my hand. 

“I need you. I need someone I can be myself with and who won't judge me if I want to eat a whole bag of candy or if I want to go for a walk. I need you Wolffe. I love you and I don't think that's ever going to change. You asked me why I'm so mysterious? I don't think of this planet as home. Sure, I've lived here for several years but I have come to realize that I don't see places or things as home. It's the people and…" 

Wolffe laid a finger over her lips. "You talk too much,  _ Mesh'la _ ." 

"I'm still going to figure out what that means." She mumbled against his finger still on her mouth. 

"I'll tell you on one condition." Wolffe leaned in so it seemed like it was just her and him in the entire bar. 

"What's that?" She whispered, breathlessly. 

"That no matter what we face, we will always talk it out? I will be not nice sometimes and you will be a mystery and frustrate me but we will always talk things through?" Wolffe gave a quick caress of her cheek. 

"Yes. Now, what does  _ Mesh'la _ mean?" She knew she botched it again but Wolffe only smiled. 

"Beautiful." He spoke a phrase in his language before saying it in Galactic Basic. "My beautiful mysterious singer." 

The two of them headed out to the orange and white trooper's complaints. 

"Great. First Rex. Now Wolffe. Who's next Fox? Me?" Commander Cody of the 212th legion griped. His thoughts turned unconsciously to an annoying traveler who always messed up his missions. 

Nah. That would never happen. Would it? 

**Author's Note:**

> MANDO'A 
> 
> Copikla - Charming, Cute (babies and animals. Never women, unless you want your head ripped off.) (this is Wolffe being kind of an asshole)
> 
> Mesh'la - Beautiful.


End file.
